Would it be safe to assume that you intend to use this for home self defense? Reason I say this, is because of your poll states "I know how to handle a flashlight"

If so, then you might consider the rail but everybodies taste are different.

How confident are you in holding a flashlight in the other hand?

Myself, I'd rather have the other hand free for whatever reason. Kinda hard to be on the phone dialing 911 with a light in your hand because you might be by yourself. Just saying, pick a number of reasons to have the other hand free.

My home self defense pistol is a Sig P220 with NS and rail and a Streamlight TLR-1 weapon mounted light. This bad boy puts out a blinding 160 lumens of LED light. I've yet to decide on getting the light with strobe feature.

Would it be safe to assume that you intend to use this for home self defense? Reason I say this, is because of your poll states "I know how to handle a flashlight"

If so, then you might consider the rail but everybodies taste are different.

How confident are you in holding a flashlight in the other hand?

Myself, I'd rather have the other hand free for whatever reason. Kinda hard to be on the phone dialing 911 with a light in your hand because you might be by yourself. Just saying, pick a number of reasons to have the other hand free.

My home self defense pistol is a Sig P220 with NS and rail and a Streamlight TLR-1 weapon mounted light. This bad boy puts out a blinding 160 lumens of LED light. I've yet to decide on getting the light with strobe feature.

Hope this helps in your decision.

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Good points. I do run a M3X on a SIG P220. I could use that for bump in the night. Pretty much every imaginable pistol these days has a light rail. But like you CC, I have an eye for those original lines. Maybe I should shove practicality to the ground and call this one a "because I like it that way".

Decisions, decisions...

"Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: [...] as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."Joshua 24:15

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"As a friend says, always reach first for the obvious answer in a puzzle. If you hear hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras."

If it is not for self defense, then if it was me I would not get the rail. I do not think a 1911 looks right with a rail, reason for my previous statement. Hey man, I'm just a plumber who likes firearms, no expert here.

None of my slab sides are railed either. But, I do have an XD with a surefire light that I Love for bump in the night or for any night time activities. The rail mounted light frees up the other hand for opening gates, doors, holding the steering wheel on a dark country road while scoping out the bushes for zombies etc.

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington

Aside the 1911 aesthetics, l don't like a gun mounted light. Seems to me that just makes it pretty obvious where your center of mass is behind the bright spot. I really can see an advantage of one hand free, but I'm not going hunting in the house while I'm trying to dial the phone. Dialing out will be preliminary to clearing, or an after action report.

All good points. I don't want to get into light tactics. There is a whole plethora (El Guapo) of information on this topic. I'd say that I am comfortable with both hand held or weapon mounted handgun lights.

I am running over the new Colts and the XSEs and Rail Guns look superb. I still get drawn to the old Series 70s and Combat Elites too. A Combat Elite was my first 1911.

"Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: [...] as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."Joshua 24:15

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"As a friend says, always reach first for the obvious answer in a puzzle. If you hear hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras."

If you are choosing the 1911 for it's functionality, I would say go with the rail just because added potential is never wasted...one never knows what one might want to add at some future date and the rail will not interfere with any current functionality.

If you are choosing the 1911 for classic style and the look of the weapon, then you would obviously not want the rail marring that look.

Look and style has never been even a minor criterion in selecting a weapon for me, so I said go with the rail.

Well other than do you really need ANOTHER thing hanging off your gun (go look at the photo somewhere on the board of the AR fitted with about fifty different gadgets. I really hate that photo as there is a Swiss Army knife mounted on the gun and I never thought of that, just one more d--n thing to buy now!), what are you using it for? Can you get a holster for it? Are you really going to hang a flash light off it or get one of those nifty bayonets? I mean really, you run out of ammo or it jams, what are you going to do, hand puppets? Or run over and stab him!

And if Homey comes in my crib late at night, it ain't Mr. Colt that will dance with him, it'll be Mr. Shotgun that sits by the bedside. I have enough LED-equipped gadgets around the house, there is a useable level of light at all times. "Center of mass", baby! Homey gets fitted for a pine box........

Now, Mr.Shotgun DOES have a flashlight, so I do hedge my bets if Homey was smart enough to kill my house power.....

Text-speak and hashtags get you into the ignore list.
As will tagging my name.
Stop ILLITERACY - if your spelling and grammar skills are weak, proofread!
I have learned on these online forums, that nobody proofreads anymore. Truly a lost art.
Throwing a comma after every three or four words is not correct. Makes your post hard to read.

I like their functionality for what can be added and the possible future devices (only have one super-cheap rail-mounted light that's gonna have to go when I replace it with a good one).

Most of y'all have been doing this a lot longer than me, so I understand not liking them -- my favorite car would still have a stick-shift.

"...And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:39-40

I really can see an advantage of one hand free, but I'm not going hunting in the house while I'm trying to dial the phone. Dialing out will be preliminary to clearing, or an after action report.

Uv cuss, YMMV.

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I probably would not be dialing a phone either, just tossing out ideas for having a free hand is all. I apologize if the comment was not the most correct one to portray. I took the OP's occupation and training into account and figured he probably knew way more than myself on tactics and knew what my intentions were.

I probably would not be dialing a phone either, just tossing out ideas for having a free hand is all. I apologize if the comment was not the most correct one to portray. I took the OP's occupation and training into account and figured he probably knew way more than myself on tactics and knew what my intentions were.

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No problem. I simply stated what I have concluded over time and for my circumstances. Those that prefer rails and lights are more than welcome to use the techniques they choose. I don't have a lot of doors to open that would need the free hand, so I would handle the lighting differently, not necessarily better. Al almost certainly has more experience than I do, and his house could well be way different (as yours is likely to be.) Might not even be a concern of his, dunno. Anyway, tactics is off the topic a bit, my fault for leading things off the path.

As with the "perfect" SHTF weapon etc. it all depends on what you will primarily use it for. I wouldn't have any use for a rail on my daily carry 1911. But my XD with the light I bought when I was working on the border in South Texas and the illegals would close a lease gate at night and wait for you to get out of your vehicle to car jack you. I wanted to be seen and I needed the free hand to open the gate or car door so stealth was not a consideration. That is my bedside weapon also and I like the fact that the light is instant on or not and it has the ability to blind an intruder, adding to your tactical advantage.

So for the purpose of the poll and the OP I would have to say go with the rail. Why sacrifice the versatility. Use it if you need it and if you don't it isn't in the way. So it boils down to aesthetics.

Or you could get one with and one without. Problem solved!!!

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy

"You took the good things for granted-now you must earn them again. For every right that you cherish, you have a duty that you must fulfill. For every hope that you entertain, you have a task that you must perform. For every good that you wish to preserve, you will have to sacrifice your comfort and ease. There is nothing for nothing any longer." -George Washington